SMRs

John Hutton: The UK has an enviable reputation for high quality, safe and reliable nuclear operations and this programme will bring huge benefits for nuclear skills recruitment, retention and development for both the UK’s existing and future civil and defence programmes. Main body of the report: One particular application for deployment of the talent developed through the UK SMR programme would be in the ongoing maintenance of the UK’s independent nuclear deterrent. Currently, the UK Government is required to invest funding to sustain the skills and capability necessary for the maintenance of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine programme. Recent decisions in Parliament have committed the UK to continue with independent deterrence for another generation, and therefore the need to maintain the relevant skills and capability remains paramount. The indigenous UK supply chain that supports defence nuclear programmes requires significant ongoing support to retain talent and develop and maintain capability between major programmes. Opportunities for the supply chain to invest in new capability are restricted by the limited size and scope of the defence nuclear programme. A UK SMR programme would increase the security, size and scope of opportunities for the UK supply chain significantly, enabling long-term sustainable investment in people, technology and capability.

This morning Policy Exchange hosted an event about small modular reactors (SMRs) – the technology is derived from nuclear-powered submarine systems. A consortium led by Rolls Royce is pushing the idea of using new nuclear technology scaled down to a fraction of the size of older plant designs. The mini-plants would be made in factories to be re-assembled on site much more quickly and cheaply than large-scale projects like Hinkley. Rolls-Royce reckons the global export market could be worth as much as £400 billion for the made-in-Britain technology.

Policy Exchange are delighted to be hosting an event in our Westminster offices to discuss the challenges and opportunities in our future low carbon electric economy. Our distinguished panel of speakers is comprised of the Rt Hon Lord Howell of Guildford (former Secretary of State for Energy), Harry Holt (President of Rolls-Royce Nuclear), Dr Jenifer Baxter (Head of Energy and Environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers) and a leading British innovator and entrepreneur. The event will be chaired by Rachel Reeves MP (Chair of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee).

The UK government must give the country’s nuclear industry clarity on the potential development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), Rolls-Royce and its partners in the UK SMR consortium said today. There is a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for Britain to design, manufacture and operate such reactors, they added. Rolls-Royce and its partners – including Amec Foster Wheeler, Arup, Laing O’Rourke, Nuclear AMRC and Nuvia – today released a report claiming a UK SMR program could create 40,000 skilled jobs, contribute £100 billion ($132 billion) to the economy and open up a potential £400 billion global export market.

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